Your B2B marketing strategy is ever a work in progress — and that’s a good thing! To attract the most traffic to your eCommerce website and convert a strong percentage of those visitors to customers, you must evolve.
The demands of B2B buyers has changed in many of the same ways as buyer behavior overall — with an accelerated shift toward transparency and excellent customer experience. Marketing Technology Insights reports that, “Businesses are moving away from traditional enterprise buying habits at a rapid pace – in search of greater speed, transparency, and simplicity.”
Some of the changes have been spurred by the COVID-19 crisis. Even so, 79% of B2B companies say they are somewhat or very likely to sustain the shifts they made during the pandemic for at least a year afterward. What looks like a mere trend may be the way of the future.
Let’s look at some of the top B2B product marketing trends and how they should be reflected in your eCommerce website to prepare you for long term growth.
1. Supercharged CX
Companies have discovered that selling online is a must. Whether you are an exclusively eCommerce business, or you embrace newly popular models like BOPIC (buy online, pick up in-store) you are competing with more companies online than ever before. Your customer experience (CX) has to rise to the challenge.
Customers in both B2B and B2C have higher expectations than ever with regard to shipping costs, delivery speed, and the ability to get their questions answered. A study by McKinsey found that B2B customers rate live chat as the number one feature they want from an eCommerce website.
2. Next-Level SEO
Search engine optimization changes fast, with an increasing shift toward artificial intelligence. To rank well in organic search, so that customers find you readily, requires a combination of technical modifications and excellent content. Today’s B2B websites must speak to both humans and algorithms. Your SEO strategy requires constant attention too; don’t make the mistake of a “set it and forget it” approach to SEO.
Follow these three best practices for your eCommerce SEO:
- Create long-form content like ebooks and whitepapers that take a deep dive into your products, as well as other subjects your B2B audience cares about.
- Demonstrate expertise, authority, and trust (E-A-T), by using authoritative sources and primary research.
- As always, conduct ongoing keyword research and write absolutely everything with your SEO keywords in mind.
nopCommerce is specifically designed for search engine-friendly urls and sitemaps, and includes numerous out-of-the-box features that help your eCommerce website rank in search.
3. Informative B2B Product Videos
90% of B2B buyers look for product videos during the decision process. They want to be fully informed before spending their company’s money and often need to gain buy-in from numerous stakeholders. They want to understand your products, see them in action, and arm themselves with data. Create video content for buyers at every stage of the funnel, especially if you have a long sales cycle.
It’s a misconception that B2B buyers are purely rational and don’t make emotional decisions. Video is perfectly suited to tap into emotions. If you’re not already, make and share product videos regularly. Create a YouTube channel, and embed your videos into the product pages of your eCommerce store.
4. Website Security and Compliance
While security and compliance should never be treated as a “trend,” they are gaining more attention than ever before, thanks to several recent, high-profile data breaches and new legislation. With the implementation of the GDPR in 2018, the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) in January 2020, and the New York Shield Act, in March 2020, website privacy came to the fore. Numerous other countries and U.S. states are pursuing their own privacy laws. There has been increased attention to ADA compliance for websites, as well. Plus, as an eCommerce retailer, you handle sensitive personal and payment information. You have a duty to protect your customers.
Building your B2B eCommerce website in nopCommerce sets you up for success in this area. Security is one of the key principles built into Microsoft .NET, the platform on which nopCommerce is built. nopCommerce meets all the requirements of the European Union Laws and all PCI Compliance requirements.
5. Virtual and Augmented Reality
B2B customers want to “try before they buy” because their average B2B spend is relatively high.
Through technology, you can give them a tour of your facility, on a microscopic journey inside your product, or help them envision your products in their world before they complete a purchase.
Virtual reality (VR) gives B2B clients a way to immerse themselves in the experience of your product. Augmented reality (AR) lets them blend your content with the real world around them. Both experiences are being used increasingly by retailers seeking to make a strong impression on potential buyers. VR and AR can be powerful sales motivators - especially when delivered with the right kinds of marketing messages. Work with a website developer who can advise you on how to create these experiences and integrate them with your eCommerce website.
Choose the Right eCommerce Platform for B2B
Choosing nopCommerce as your eCommerce platform already puts you a step ahead, since it offers a range of excellent marketing features out of the box, along with security and numerous integrations. nopCommerce works for all business sizes, enabling sellers to offer thousands of products, accept multiple currencies, and integrate with suppliers and shipping services. Building your eCommerce site in nopCommerce will allow you to stay on top of all the latest product marketing changes and stay prepared for whatever comes next. For the best results, work with a nopCommerce partner agency and nopCommerce certified developers.
The post was written by Spinutech (formerly Bayshore Solutions), an experienced nopCommerce partner. Company delivers custom eCommerce solutions across all industries. Its certified developers build secure, scalable, and supported solutions tailored to the unique business needs utilizing the power of nopCommerce.